Jump to content
gdf

Plug your shit

Recommended Posts

Obviously this isn't the Hotline Miami thread, or the Fight Club thread, but Film Crit Hulk has a piece about Fight Club which I remember liking a lot, basically arguing that the movie fundamentally fails by making Tyler Durden really appealing and never adequately tearing down him out his ideology. In other words it's the film's own fault that people take it the way seemingly many do.

http://badassdigest.com/2012/01/22/film-crit-hulk-smash-hulk-vs-fight-club-and-the-work-of-david-fincher/

 

Totally granted. I'm not really saying that Fight Club is a masterpiece that profoundly (or even effectively) conveys its intended message, I'm more trying to say that Hotline Miami is (as far as I or anyone I've read can tell) really nothing beyond a celebration of violence and all of its empowering and disempowering effects with nothing more below it, while Fight Club at least attempts to say something. Like I wouldn't put Fight Club and, say, Wolf of Wall Street in the same bucket (which is an "objective" telling of a story wrapped in a presentation that comedically glorifies a way of life). But that's really a moot point in the context of Apple Cider's article, which I think is more about the cultural effects and image that the perceived message of both pieces have on people, correct or incorrect.

 

I really hope I'm not missing something, Apple, I really liked the article!

 

Edit: also didn't mean to derail any shit plugging, please carry on.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I think the observation that Hotline Miami is very much the product of a particular point in time is a good and interesting one and would have been interested in more detail in that regard: As things stand I didn't get a particularly strong understanding of what the elements were that supposedly led to its success. I disagree with a couple of things in there, particularly that HLM chastises the player for enjoying violence and, simultaneously, that the violence is ever suggested to be justified except in a purely causal sense. It also seems to me to presume a broader consensus as to the merits and demerits of Hotline Miami 2 than I have personally observed, but I could be off base there. Good piece and illustration.

 

Also re: Fight Club I found this video of Dan Olsen aka FoldableHuman to be a pretty interesting analysis

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I had word limits so I didn't get to dig as deep as I wanted to but:

 

1.) Fight Club absolutely was enjoyed on a way different level than what Fincher or Palahniuk intended, even though it was explicitly shown as such. (So I agree on this point.)

2.) Hotline Miami says very little, but it attempts to say something and borrows heavily from filmic pieces like Fight Club or Drive but doesn't dig into what either film attempts with consequences or personal responsibility. 

3.) A lot of people don't think a lot about any of those three things because they still very slickly make violence voyeuristically cool, and cool to a very specific subset of people

4.) That subset of people tends to be guys, more often guys who think they are profoundly deep or emotional but still want to secretly enjoy violence without thinking about it. 

5.) All of the above are still somewhat alienating to me

6.) HLM 1 and 2 are very much products of the time, which is why theory to why 2 was so much more disappointing, just beyond the mechanical failures, it attempts to cash back in on something it barely attempted in the first place narratively or aesthetically, making the franchise as a whole pretty terrible. 

 

I am going to do a post-mortem on this piece expanding on some things that lead me to writing this in the first place so that might give some better coverage to what people disagreed with. HLM was successful because it was a shorter indie game that hearkened back to an earlier time in a lot of young men's lives with 80s style/flair and tight beat-em-up sensibilities with a banging soundtrack. I don't think it went much more beyond that and I daresay it wouldn't have worked as perhaps even a AAA game, in that sense.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I had word limits so I didn't get to dig as deep as I wanted to but:

 

1.) Fight Club absolutely was enjoyed on a way different level than what Fincher or Palahniuk intended, even though it was explicitly shown as such. (So I agree on this point.)

2.) Hotline Miami says very little, but it attempts to say something and borrows heavily from filmic pieces like Fight Club or Drive but doesn't dig into what either film attempts with consequences or personal responsibility. 

3.) A lot of people don't think a lot about any of those three things because they still very slickly make violence voyeuristically cool, and cool to a very specific subset of people

4.) That subset of people tends to be guys, more often guys who think they are profoundly deep or emotional but still want to secretly enjoy violence without thinking about it. 

5.) All of the above are still somewhat alienating to me

6.) HLM 1 and 2 are very much products of the time, which is why theory to why 2 was so much more disappointing, just beyond the mechanical failures, it attempts to cash back in on something it barely attempted in the first place narratively or aesthetically, making the franchise as a whole pretty terrible. 

 

I am going to do a post-mortem on this piece expanding on some things that lead me to writing this in the first place so that might give some better coverage to what people disagreed with. HLM was successful because it was a shorter indie game that hearkened back to an earlier time in a lot of young men's lives with 80s style/flair and tight beat-em-up sensibilities with a banging soundtrack. I don't think it went much more beyond that and I daresay it wouldn't have worked as perhaps even a AAA game, in that sense.

 

Regarding 6): A big reason why I liked HLM was because it contained bits of story and non-violent, direct player interaction, that highlighted and framed the violent action, but I realize now that it was fascinating because at the time that kind of thing wasn't common, especially for the kind of genre HLM strove for. In posterity, it doesn't sit very far on the mechanically progressive scale as I remember. I remember actually on an episode on Idle Thumbs way back when HLM first came out, JP LeBreton commented on how HLM sort of hints that there's a world outside the violence that gives the violence context, but because the majority of the things you could possibly ever do in the game is kill people, the contrast is completely lost. Like a sandwich with 99% peanutbutter and 1% jelly is trying to call itself peanutbutter and jelly by being aware of how peanutbutter it is.

 

RE 2) An interpretation of HLM that I often see and is most substantial and internally consistent is that It requires the player to completely indulge in it to be meaningful. The short bits of nonviolent story (ie picking up the phone, renting a video, meeting with the tribunal) are meant to tease the player and make them create their own interpretation for what's going on, then flip it upside down with the real last level of the game by saying that the violence is pointless and gratuitous. The events aren't supposed to make sense, and the story is supposed to be vague, but regardless the player kills anyway because that's all you're allowed to do in the game. The player's indulgence in the violence regardless of the thin narrative reasons to do so, and that realization is supposed to be cathartic.

 

But just like Fight Club, that moment of looking in the mirror after completely indulging in dumb violence and aggression requires that the audience also has to be in the midst of it. which means that a lot of people won't "get" that moment of catharsis, because a big part of the content itself reinforces their own worldview (video games should be violent, society is overfeminized), and they don't take in anything that rejects it, and also because the creator kind of slides that in as an afterthought.

 

Can't wait for postmortem!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Wrigley Field is opening sunday

 

My company has been building the big outfield signs the last 2 months or so.  I got to design the fabrication, mounting, and assist in LED layout and trouble shooting.  Pretty simple design, the LED rope was a pain - but is a pretty big statement piece for our brochure.  Some of the inside the field work is much more impressive fabrication wise...but probably wont get put on the news

 

We didnt do the video board, but i suspect the company that did lost money on the contract

 

post-33948-0-42200900-1428033890_thumb.jpg

post-33948-0-70028200-1428033896_thumb.jpg

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

My friend is trying to get their film funded on Kickstarter. It's called Most Likely and it's a quirky comedy about a wedding. They're less than a thousand dollars away from their goal with only 44 hours to go, so I thought I'd put this here.

 

I already put this incentive out to my podcast listeners so I'll put it here as well: in addition to the perks listed on the Kickstarter, I am offering additional stuff to anyone who donates. If you donate 10 dollars* I will watch and write a review of the film of your choice (barring porn and really repugnant exploitation stuff). If you donate 50 dollars I will record a bonus episode of my podcast on the film topic of your choice. Podcast episodes will be at least 45 minutes long, but likely even longer than that.

 

I dunno if this will interest any of you but with 44 hours left, I figure it's worth a shot.

 

*This can be done multiple times too, so 40 dollars will get you 4 reviews.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I will leave a link here for the point-and-click adventure browsergame I just released, which is called The Secret of Gargoyle Manor (that's the Kongregate link, here's an itch.io one too) and which you might enjoy if you like a good few minutes of not-terribly-difficult inventory puzzles. :) Here is what it looks like:


QPQ12tw.gif

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Hey team

So my partner and I are running a vide games podcast (how very original I know)

The ideas barrel has run dry however and so I was wondering if anyone could suggest some open video game questions for us to cover. Thanks in advance.

The Game Jabber Podcast BTW.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Yet another podcast to plug.

 

Check us out on the Schadecast at http://www.sdfgaming.com or if you feel like giving your fingers a workout http://www.schadenfreudegaming.com.

 

We are three guys who talk about games, the gaming industry, gaming news, ourselves, and whatever other funny shit tickles our fancy. We have 8 podcasts up on the site and we just recorded our 9th. We usually record every two weeks and our shows run about 2 hours long. We are an older bunch, Two of us are in our early 40s and the baby of the group is 29, but we are all basically ridiculous man-children. We try to be funny but it's not like the morning zoo or anything, just normal guys talking about games and shit while having fun.

 

We have also started posting quick look videos and other things that interest us on our site.

 

Give us a try. If you like us tell a friend, if you don't tell two friends.

 

Thanks,

 

~Roop

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Nice Dog Vids, Kid Wiki!

 

What is that beeping dog collar thing?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks. :)

 

The beeping you hear is from the TV in the background. The flashing light is from her remote training collar, which can vibrate or deliver mild electrical stimulation at the touch of a button. It helps her pay attention to commands.

 

Disclaimer: I wouldn't recommend them for everyone, it would be easy to misuse and overcorrect for the wrong things. We worked with a couple of serious trainers to learn how to employ it properly. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I plugged some similar shit last summer, but this summer, before I am starting a job out in Boston, I am riding my bike across the country with Bike and Build, a charity that raises money and awareness for affordable housing. I'm sure you all know what a huge problem this is in so many parts of the country. 

My page is here!

http://bikeandbuild.org/rider/8052

If you feel moved to donate I would be incredibly grateful, I'm incredibly excited to be doing this.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I’m starting a fundraising campaign to help me do an animated short:

Dbk76iF.png

at: http://igg.me/at/ssrids


Ssrids will be a sort of animated sketch journal, animated in hand-drawn 2D. It will be a short film, roughly between five and ten minutes, covering the weeks after I stopped taking sertraline. It's just something that I really want to make and that maybe means a good deal to me personally, and I really hope that it connects with other people.


I hope this clicks with you folk, keep being cool.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm an amateur writer. Most of the time I write about video games, make YouTube videos and take part in podcasts here

 

I've tried to gather a lot of my writing in one place here

 

I'm open to feedback, so have at me.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

My game development community has just announced an event we've been planning for a while in coordination with reddit's /r/GlobalOffensive. If anyone here is still into a bit of Source engine level design, we're now running a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive mapping contest.

 

We've decided to put quite a bit of dosh into it (for a completely self-funded site) so hopefully it'll get sufficient interest! There's respectively $500, $150, and $50 for the first three places. Additionally, Valve (unexpectedly) offered to donate a bunch of Counter-Strike merchandise such as signed posters, lanyards, stickers, and a SteelSeries gaming mouse.

 

If anyone's interested, more here: https://www.mapcore.org/articles/special-events/reddit-mapcore-csgo-mapping-contest-r61/

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×